Fact Sheet: TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA’s Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Drilling in the Western Cape

The document outlines a proposal by TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA to drill up to five exploration wells in Block 5/6/7 off the coast of the Western Cape, South Africa. It argues that the project is unnecessary for energy security, contradicts South Africa's climate commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and poses significant risks to marine biodiversity and local industries like fishing and tourism. The text also highlights the poor environmental and ethical track records of TotalEnergies and Shell in other African nations.

• TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA hold exploration rights for Block 5/6/7, with TotalEnergies applying for authorization to drill up to five wells between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas. The Area of Interest covers 10,000km2 and is located as close as 60km from the coast, with drilling proposed for a 3-4 month period between October 2023 and June 2024.
• The project is described as contradictory to South Africa's international climate commitments to keep global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius, as experts state this goal requires that no new oil and gas reserves are exploited.
• Evidence from Meridian Economics and the International Institute for Sustainable Development suggests that gas is not needed as a transition energy source for South Africa and that investing in gas-to-power infrastructure would be a "costly mistake". Furthermore, a Meridian Economics study indicated that 5 GW of additional renewable energy could have eliminated 96.5% of load shedding in 2021, meaning the project is not necessary to solve the energy crisis.
• The drilling poses risks to marine ecosystems, including potential oil spills, blow-outs, and impacts on species such as the African Penguin, three species of turtle, and thirty-five species of cetaceans. The project is located near Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs).
• The proposal may negatively impact the local economy by excluding fishing activities from 500m operational safety zones and disturbing Southern right whales, which could reduce tourism revenue along the Whale Coast.
• TotalEnergies and Shell have histories of environmental damage and corruption in Africa, including oil spills in Nigeria, failure to prevent human rights violations in Uganda and Tanzania, and bribery in Gabon, Angola, Cameroon, Congo, and Iran.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). Fact Sheet: TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA’s Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Drilling in the Western Cape. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Fact-Sheet_Total-Shell-Offshore-Exploration-Scoping-Report-1.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Fact Sheet: TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA’s Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Drilling in the Western Cape. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Fact-Sheet_Total-Shell-Offshore-Exploration-Scoping-Report-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Fact Sheet: TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA’s Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Drilling in the Western Cape |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Fact-Sheet_Total-Shell-Offshore-Exploration-Scoping-Report-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendfact, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Fact Sheet: TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA’s Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Drilling in the Western Cape}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Fact-Sheet_Total-Shell-Offshore-Exploration-Scoping-Report-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }